In this Issue of Hey Cherokee County…

✅ Andrews Schools Looking for Coaches to Shape the Next Generation

✅ Murphy Moves to Protect Downtown Sewer System From Future Flooding

Cherokee County Events

August 1st

August 4th

August 11th

August 15th

August 20th

August 22nd

August 26th

September 16th-19th

September 26th

October 31st

November 21st

You don't have to be an expert to become a coach, according to Andrews High School Head Football Coach JJ Johnson, who says expertise comes through experience, a willingness to learn and simply deciding to begin. 

“Start somewhere,” Johnson said. “Very few are experts at what they’re doing. Always learn.”

Andrews schools are currently looking for people willing to take that first step.

Andrews Middle School needs head coaches and volunteers for both its girls basketball and girls track programs. 

“There’s not much someone needs to become a coach beyond passing a background check, having a genuine heart for kids, leading with integrity, and being committed to helping shape the future of our students,” Andrews Middle School Athletic Director Haley West said. 

At Andrews High School, Johnson is looking for additional volunteers to assist the football program, while more players are needed to fill out the junior varsity football roster.

Filling those openings is an immediate need for the schools, but Johnson said the positions also offer community members an opportunity to begin a rewarding role that can affect young people long after a season ends. 

“Just being able to watch kids grow...and turn them into fine young men that you want to be your neighbor...people that you want to live beside…that's what's most rewarding for me,” Johnson said.

Johnson has more than 30 years of coaching experience at nearly every level. He began coaching youth sports in his early 20s and spent close to two decades working with younger athletes. He later coached middle and high school track, middle school girls basketball, Little League baseball, and both junior varsity and varsity football.

Now entering his second season as Andrews High School’s head football coach, Johnson said his experience has taught him that the willingness to learn may matter more than an impressive sports résumé.

“If you’re willing to learn, you don’t necessarily have to play a sport,” Johnson said. “If you just have a love for a sport, a love for the kids or the game, you can be successful.”

Winning may be the most visible part of coaching, but Johnson said victories are not necessarily what defines success.

"Effort," Johnson said. “That's what success looks like to me. When I put that film on, I see a kid going hard every play. I see everybody going hard every play. I see another kid looking out for his teammate every play…That's what success looks like to me, no matter the points on the scoreboard." 

Developing that kind of culture doesn't happen overnight, he said. Like the athletes he coaches, Johnson has also grown over the years, learning lessons that have made him a better coach. Among the most important, he said, is patience.

"I don't think early on I was patient enough. I don't think I was patient enough with kids or even with myself,” Johnson said, adding that since everyone learns and communicates differently, you have to learn to coach all those different personalities.

Johnson said he understands why some people hesitate to volunteer as coaches. But he believes many would discover they’re capable of more than they realize if they're simply willing to take the first step. 

"Don't be scared to ask questions,” Johnson said. “Don't be scared to jump in and work. Don't be scared when you're in a coaches meeting to make suggestions…Just do it. Just jump in." 

Those interested in coaching or volunteering with Andrews Middle School or Andrews High School athletics can contact the schools for more information about current opportunities. 

A sewer lift station tucked beside Valley River may not get much attention — until it stops working.

That's why the Town of Murphy is using a newly awarded $2.1 million federal grant to move one of its most important pieces of sewer infrastructure out of the floodplain before the next major flood puts it at risk.

“The existing force main is mostly cast iron, so it’s very old,” Murphy Town Manager Chad Simons said. “Some of it is exposed along the creek beds adjacent to Valley River. This project will fix that.”

The project will relocate the Health Department lift station from its current location along Hilton Street to higher ground nearby. The station serves much of downtown Murphy, including Murphy Elementary School, the Cherokee County Health Department, homes and businesses.

"We see what floods can do to lift stations," Mayor Tim Radford said. “This is basically to prevent a disaster from happening.”

The project is funded through the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Disaster Supplemental Grant Program, created in response to Hurricane Helene. The federal award covers about $2.1 million of the estimated $2.6 million project, while Dogwood Health Trust is providing the required $520,000 local match.

According to the preliminary engineering report, the upgraded station will include new pumps, a standby generator, updated sewer lines and other improvements. It will also support continued growth around downtown, the Health Department campus and Cherokee County's new administration building while protecting the Riverwalk and nearby businesses from service disruptions caused by flooding.

Construction is expected to begin after design, permitting and bidding are completed.

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